Party talk turns to Europe at Vogue Fashion Fund bash

This week clotheshorses and designers gathered at the Bulgari Hotel for the winners announcement for the Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. As guessed nibbled on fish fingers washed down with Perrier-Jouët, it fell on the magazine’s editor Alexandra Shulman to introduce the prize:

‘This is the fund’s seventh year, I can hardly believe that it is the seventh year and we’ve been so pleased with the trajectory of our previous winners and I think of this every year as more kudos to the fact of being a winner.

The judging panel — which included Samantha Cameron and Victoria Beckham — opted to give this year’s award to Sophia Webster, the shoe designer:

‘I’m so shocked. Thank you so much to Caroline and everyone at the fashion council. This award is going to really help us, and with the money and the mentorship, I’m sure it’s going to really help us with our plans for the future.’

With business out of the way, party talk soon got underway. The matter on Miss S’s lips related to the looming EU referendum. Is Brexit a fashionable option for the In crowd?

Apparently not. Caroline Rush, the chief executive of the British Fashion Council, head told Steerpike that while they the BFC were taking no official stance, she would point to Stuart Rose if we were in the market for a quote. Given that the retail expert is the Britain Stronger in Europe chairman it’s safe to say that he will be backing Remain.

Happily, Miss S did manage to locate one Brexit-backing fashionista at the bash. Step forward Hilary Alexander. The former fashion director of the Daily Telegraph is backing Leave. ‘I am for Out,’ she told Steerpike over a glass of wine. ‘I want sovereignty back, it’s time to get out of the EU.’ And will the British fashion industry survive? ‘It always does.’